For as long as Alcoa has been making aluminum, we've been recycling
aluminum. In fact, we've been doing this since we invented the smelting process
in 1888. That's because aluminum is so valuable and so easy to recycle.

Alcoa Recycling Company was set up in 1978 as the popularity of aluminum
beverage cans began to explode. Our mission was to help the public understand
how important it is to recycle, and to make it easier to do so.
Today the mission is still the same, and the
reason to recycle is more important than ever. Recycling not only reduces litter
and conserves landfill space, it is also an important key to slowing and
stopping the growth of greenhouse gases caused by power generation. Making
aluminum from aluminum has a tiny fraction of the carbon footprint of making
aluminum from ore. And the benefits are so great that it's important to recycle
every single scrap. Including that can of Mountain Dew you're drinking
right now.

The ultimate recyclable package

View a video of the entire recycling process. When you
recycle an aluminum soda can, it does something few other containers can do: it
reappears back on the shelf, probably in 60 days or less, as a brand new soda
can. That's because the can's aluminum materials are specially engineered for
100% recycling, with no waste and a minimum of energy input. The world uses
billions and billions of cans every year. That's why can recycling is such an
important part of the greenhouse picture. more